This invention relates to a security module for identifying and verifying the identification of personnel accessing between stations in a facility such as an industrial complex and for signaling an alert when access is unauthorized.
The rise of terrorism, sabotage, industrial espionage and other acts of violence and theft and of other unauthorized entries to and at public and governmental facilities and industrial complexes has risen substantially in recent years. Security systems and security personnel are now commonplace at such installations. Verification of authorized access to such areas is thus significant if such acts are to be reduced or eliminated.
Security verification systems are known wherein an authorized individual is provided with an identification card which must be inserted within a card reader when accessing a secure area. Such cards may include a magnetic strip, bar code or laser read coded information and, if the card is authorized, the person carrying the card is permitted access without setting off an alarm or providing another alerting signal. Only those systems having a security officer to verify that a picture on the card corresponds to the person having the card are designed to verify that a valid card is being used by an authorized person. However, even where human error is not a factor and the carrier of an identification card corresponds to the person to whom the card was issued, there are circumstances when that person is not authorized entry to an area. For example, in facilities where aspects of an industrial process or the like should remain secret to all but a few authorized employees, other employees should be precluded entry. Although certain security officer protected systems provide cards that have a color or other visual code corresponding to the various restricted areas, tampering or other violations of such card may occur when unauthorized access to industrial or other secrets is the objective. Additionally, access to an area may be authorized to employees or others at certain times, but not at other times. For example, an employee working one shift may be permitted entry to an area during that shift but may be unauthorized to enter that area during other shifts or times.